Thinophilus subpalpatus, Grichanov, 2023

Grichanov, Igor Ya., 2023, A review of the Afrotropical Thinophilus Wahlberg, 1844 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), with the descriptions of ten new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 878, pp. 1-52 : 43-45

Thinophilus subpalpatus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0221323D-EE12-4D5E-8670-2629791B95E5

Fig. 15

Diagnosis

Thinophilus subpalpatus sp. nov. keys to T. medvedevi sp. nov., differing in mid femur with row of ventral setae on distal half, 2 × as long as femur height; tarsi gradually darkened towards tips. The male of T. medvedevi sp. nov. has mid femur with rows of ventral setae, half as long as femur height; tarsomere 5 of all tarsi deep black; tarsomeres 1–4 of fore and mid tarsi yellow.

Etymology

The specific epithet reflects its morphological similarity with T. palpatus Parent, 1929 .

Material examined

Holotype SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; “[Eastern] Cape Province, Umngazi Mouth ; 31290a; [31°67′ S, 29°45′ W]; coastal dunes; 20 Oct. 1972; M.E. Irwin leg.”; NMSA.

Paratypes SOUTH AFRICA • 4 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; NMSA .

Description

Male ( Fig. 15A )

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 4.5–4.7 mm; antenna length 0.8 mm; wing length 3.8 mm; wing width 1.0 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 15B ). Postcranium, frons, face, clypeus, thorax and abdomen all monochrome, black, densely whitish grey pollinose; face under antennae 1.7 × as wide as height of postpedicel; clypeus 0.35 × as long as epistoma, 1.6 × as wide as long; palp yellow, bearing white hairs; proboscis black; 2 diverging ocellars; 1 vertical, 1 postvertical, about as strong and long as, and not in row with upper postoculars; upper postoculars uniseriate, black; middle and lower postoculars multiseriate, white, long; antenna almost entirely orange-yellow ( Fig. 15C ); scape and pedicel simple; pedicel straight on inner side; postpedicel apically darkened, rounded, with short pubescence, as high as long; arista-like stylus dorsal, dark and thick basally, white and thin distally, shortly pubescent; length ratio of scape to pedicel to postpedicel to stylus, 0.09/0.06/0.13/0.54.

THORAX. No acrostichals; 6 dorsocentrals decreasing in length anteriorly; scutellum with 2 strong marginals and 2 laterals, half as long as median bristles; about 5 upper and about 5 lower, white propleural bristles of different length.

LEGS. Fore coxa yellow; mid and hind coxae black, yellow at apex, whitish grey pollinose; legs mostly yellow; fore tarsomeres 2–4, mid and hind tarsomeres 1–4 blackish at apex; segment 5 almost entirely black.

FORE LEG. Coxa with very short white setae; femur slightly thickened, with about 5 fine white ventral setae at base, half as long as femur height, with 3 posteroventral preapical black setae; tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal and 2–3 apical short bristles, devoid of black setulae anteriorly on distal ⅓; tarsomeres weakly thickened, with elongated setulae; length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 1.12/0.95/0.42/0.2/0.16/0.12/0.15.

MID LEG. Coxa with 1–2 black setae; femur with rather short fine white ventral setae; anteroventral row of 5–7 black setae, as long as femur height, 1–2 preapical posteroventral short setae; tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal; 2 posterodorsal, 4 apical short bristles; tarsal segments 4–5 slightly thickened; length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 1.19/1.19/0.78/0.28/0.19/0.12/0.16.

HIND LEG. Coxa without exterior bristle; femur with 1 preapical anterior and 2 preapical posteroventral short setae, without ventrals; tibia bearing 3 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal, 1 ventral bristles, 3 apicals; tarsal segments 4–5 slightly thickened; length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 1.69/1.5/0.4 5/0.36/0.21/0.17/0.16.

WING ( Fig. 15D ). Hyaline, without darker shades; veins yellow-brown, more yellowish at base; distal part of M 1+2 straight; tip of R 4+5 parallel with M 1+2; ratio of part of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to that between R 4+5 and M 1+2 (in mm), 0.31/0.19; crossvein dm-m straight; ratio of dm-m to distal part of M 4, 0.38/0.46; anal vein distinct; halter yellow; lower calypter yellow, with white cilia.

ABDOMEN. With setae and hind-marginal bristles on tergites black, short; sternites with very short setulae. Hypopygium ( Fig. 15E ) black, cercus yellow; epandrial lobe fingerlike, with strong apical bristle; hypandrium short, apically concave; phallosoma relatively narrow, pointed apically, reaching apex of ventral lobe of surstylus; phallus thin, long and simple, curved at apex of phallosoma; surstylus bilobate, with thinner and longer dorsal lobe ( Fig. 15F ); each lobe with 1 long ventral bristle and short setae at apex; cerci free, evenly broad to apex, with long marginal bristles.

Female

Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters.

Figures

Fig. 15. Thinophilus subpalpatus sp. nov. A–E. Holotype, ♂ (NMSA). F–G. Paratype, ♂ (NMSA). A. Habitus. B. Head. C. Antenna. D. Wing. E. Hypopygium after maceration, lateral view. F. Distal appendages of hypopygium after maceration, lateral view.